Twitter users voted to remove the owner in December musk as CEO in an unscientific poll he organized and promised to honor just weeks after taking over the helm of the social media giant.
“I am pleased to announce that I have hired a new CEO for X/Twitter,” Musk said in a tweet, without revealing the name of his successor, but adding that she will take the job in about six weeks .
“My role will change to CEO and chief technology officer, overseeing product, software and systems operations,” the billionaire added.
Musk’s stewardship of Twitter has been criticized for diverting his attention from his jobs as head of Tesla SpaceX.
However, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a note to investors that he “finally seems to understand the space” about “this Twitter nightmare” and the “impossible task” of juggling Twitter, Tesla and SpaceX.
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If Musk makes the announcement come true, he will belatedly make good on his promise to acknowledge the results of his Twitter poll.
A total of 57.5 percent of more than 17 million accounts voted for his resignation.
“I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone stupid enough to take the job!” Musk tweeted at the time.
Musk has fully owned Twitter since late October and has repeatedly caused controversy as CEO, firing most of his employees, allowing far-right figures back on the platform, suspending journalists and charging for previously free services.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Linda Yaccarino, head of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, was a potential candidate for the post of Twitter boss.
“I think whoever he hired deserves our sympathy and pity,” said independent technology analyst Rob Enderle of the Enderle Group.
“The real test will be whether he can step aside and let her do her job.”
The analyst argued that leaving Musk as Twitter’s chairman and chief technology officer could give users, employees and advertisers the impression that he still runs Twitter, making it difficult to regain trust.
“The situation really requires him to step out completely,” Enderle said of Twitter’s firing of Musk.
“Otherwise people don’t think she has the freedom to do what she needs to do.”
Musk recently made the tech company part of an “X” shell corporation, dropping the Twitter company name but continuing to use it for the platform.
The controversial tech magnate has spoken publicly about using Twitter to build a general-purpose “X” app that combines news, payments and more.
This week he announced the launch of encrypted direct messaging on Twitter, as well as plans for audio and video calling capabilities.
According to Insider Intelligence, the San Francisco-based company, which derives most of its revenue from advertising, will make less than $3 billion in 2023, compared to $4 billion in 2022.
Regard Elon Musk ‘hires’ new Twitter CEO and says she’ll come on in six weeks
